the Swabian and Austrian family Hoheneck, and the owners of the nearby Lichtenberg Castle, bearing its name. In 1357 the von Lichtenbergs sold the castle, and the related rule, including the town, to Eberhard II, Count of Württemberg. A school of Latin was established in the town sometime around 1490 and continued teaching until 1925. In April 1525, Großbottwar became involved in insurgency in the German Peasants' War, when two hundred citizens of the town moved to the Wunnenstein mountain and elected Matern Feuerbacher as their leader in the peasants' revolt. The cluster of peasants joining the rebellion increased rapidly as the group marched, increasing Feuerbacher's responsibility, but the resulting battle at Böblingen on 12 May was a critical loss for the peasants, and one of the bloodiest of the whole uprising. Großbottwar was fined for partaking in the revolt and Feuerbacher was tried for his role as their leader, but he was acquitted and moved to Switzerland. A secondary school in the town is named after him. Arts and culture Großbottwar is situated on the Württemberg Weinstraße, or wine road, a tourist route through the Württemberg wine region. The old town is well preserved, as it has been fortunate to have largely escaped damage from war and fire. Many half-timbered buildings from the 15th to the 17th centuries are still intact, as is some of the original mediaeval wall that once stood around the town, although large sections of it were torn down between 1820 and 1837. The landmark of the town is the historic Rathaus, or town hall, built in 1553, with gabling completed in 1556. It features elaborate timber framing with a clock, sundial, and carved stork on the façade. The wooden stork is jointed at the neck and nods its head when the clock strikes the hour. The inventor Philipp Matthäus Hahn built the clock in 1776. Originally, the ground floor of the town hall was open and contained the city bakery. The next floor up was a dance workshop and banquet hall, and the floor above was a court room. It is likely that a fountain stood outside the hall since the founding of the town. The fountain was renovated in 1774, but the standing lion put in place was made of sandstone and weathered quickly. The sandstone was replaced in 1873 with cast iron lions. Renovations to the fountain were again needed in 1930,